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More than 400 undergraduate students received their diplomas at the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science Commencement ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 19, at the ������ý Events Center. Doctoral and master’s candidates graduated at ceremonies on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.

University President Harvey Stenger and Provost and Executive Vice President Donald Nieman welcomed the graduates and guests, as did Dean Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari.

Noting that he was speaking to the Watson School’s largest graduating class to date, Srihari commended the graduates for their sustained and focused hard work. “Your diligence has been critical to your success here at ������ý, in the exceptional academic environment that our campus provides.”

In celebrating the excellence of the campus, Srihari referred to much more than the bricks and mortar. “We are really talking about the people – faculty, staff, students – who have made the Watson School and ������ý into what it is today, known for its excellence across the country and around the globe.”

Srihari asked the graduates to think about the changes ─ and the pace of the changes ─ in technology in recent years and to imagine the changes they will create in the future.

He also provided some thoughts for them to take with them throughout their careers: “Listen. Be brave and inquisitive, but also respectful. Seek a mentor; be a mentor,” he said. “You will have challenges and perhaps you will make missteps. Learn from them. Embrace diversity and always keep learning. Enjoy the ride! We are in the greatest field ever with endless possibilities.”

One of three honorary degrees awarded this year was also conferred on Balakrishnan “Balki” G. Iyer, MS ’00, co-founder and chief growth officer of Utopus Insights, which provides analytical solutions for a renewable, sustainable future.

In his remarks, Iyer left graduates with four important lessons he has learned in life, to guide them as they get ready to face the world.

“Just like you need different teachers at different ages — you also need different mentors at various stages,” he said. “A good master teaches you — telling you what you don’t know. A great one trains you — making you reach your highest potential on your own. My first lesson is to urge you all to find your own mentors.”

Next, Iyer praised the support he has received from his parents and siblings who instilled the highest level of confidence in him and have always been and will be his bedrock. “My second lesson is to urge you all to never forget your roots and keep the foundation strong to maintain your moral compass.”

Third, Iyer said, find the right life partner. He met his wife 20 years ago on campus and “she has taught me to have a free spirit, an open mind and how to build better human relationships. Most of you are young, but when the time comes, my third lesson is to find the right partner so you can be each other’s steppingstone and two bright lights shining toward the same path.”

Iyer’s fourth and final lesson? Purpose. He said he came to his late, but he now promotes clean, renewable energy. “There is nothing better than an idea whose time has come,” he said. “The time has come for all of us to reverse the trend and make the world better than we found it. I hope there are enough of you in this graduating class who will join me in the ‘next renaissance’ of building a sustainable planet. My fourth lesson is, whatever your true calling, please find it an as the Bhagavad Gita [a 700-verse Sanskrit text] says, ‘live a lifestyle that matches your vision.’

“I have learned that life is unpredictable and the biggest obstacle to progress is fear,” he said. “You must overcome fear, you must write your own script, you must be the one to change the world, but not the ones who don’t have to change themselves. Don’t live history, make history.”

Two students spoke on behalf of the graduating class: mechanical engineering major Chloe Long from Flushing, N.Y., and Julie Kunnumpurath, a computer science major from Tully, N.Y.

Plans will get derailed and you will be faced with difficult decisions, Long said. “The key is not picking the choice that is ultimately the right one, but rather making the best of every present moment and shaping your life the way you want to, no matter what you choose.

“As Watson students, we share sharp minds, inquisitive natures and desires to make a difference,” she added. “As Watson graduates, we will be unstoppable.”

Kunnumpurath urged her peers to pay it forward by helping others reach their potential. “Think for a second about the specific people who have showed confidence in you and supported you,” she said. “Think about something that you never thought you would do, but because someone believed it a possibility, you decided to try it.

“As we leave undergrad and prepare to move on to the next chapter in our lives, one of the few things that remains constant is our ability to empower the people around us,” she said. “You can be the person who encourages someone to take on a new responsibility or risk. Better yet, take on the risk yourself and choose to mentor someone who is interested in what you do.”